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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This...

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This development, confirmed by high-ranking party insiders, follows the realization that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) effectively ceded its claims on the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to protect the alliance, facilitating a “Mumbai for BJP, Kalyan for Shinde” power-sharing formula. The compromise marks a complete role reversal between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Both the political parties were in alliance with each other for over 25 years before 2017 civic polls. Back then the BJP used to get the post of Deputy Mayor while the Shiv Sena always enjoyed the mayor’s position. In 2017 a surging BJP (82 seats) had paused its aggression to support the undivided Shiv Sena (84 seats), preferring to be out of power in the Corporation to keep the saffron alliance intact. Today, the numbers dictate a different reality. In the recently concluded elections BJP emerged as the single largest party in Mumbai with 89 seats, while the Shinde faction secured 29. Although the Shinde faction acted as the “kingmaker”—pushing the alliance past the majority mark of 114—the sheer numerical gap made their claim to the mayor’s post untenable in the long run. KDMC Factor The catalyst for this truce lies 40 kilometers north of Mumbai in Kalyan-Dombivali, a region considered the impregnable fortress of Eknath Shinde and his son, MP Shrikant Shinde. While the BJP performed exceptionally well in KDMC, winning 50 seats compared to the Shinde faction’s 53, the lotter for the reservation of mayor’s post in KDMC turned the tables decisively in favor of Shiv Sena there. In the lottery, the KDMC mayor’ post went to be reserved for the Scheduled Tribe candidate. The BJP doesn’t have any such candidate among elected corporatros in KDMC. This cleared the way for Shiv Sena. Also, the Shiv Sena tied hands with the MNS in the corporation effectively weakening the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s alliance with them. Party insiders suggest that once it became clear the BJP would not pursue the KDMC Mayor’s chair—effectively acknowledging it as Shinde’s fiefdom—he agreed to scale down his demands in the capital. “We have practically no hope of installing a BJP Mayor in Kalyan-Dombivali without shattering the alliance locally,” a Mumbai BJP secretary admitted and added, “Letting the KDMC become Shinde’s home turf is the price for securing the Mumbai Mayor’s bungalow for a BJP corporator for the first time in history.” The formal elections for the Mayoral posts are scheduled for later this month. While the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—led by the Shiv Sena (UBT)—has vowed to field candidates, the arithmetic heavily favors the ruling alliance. For Eknath Shinde, accepting the Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai is a tactical retreat. It allows him to consolidate his power in the MMR belt (Thane and Kalyan) while remaining a partner in Mumbai’s governance. For the BJP, this is a crowning moment; after playing second fiddle in the BMC for decades, they are poised to finally install their own “First Citizen” of Mumbai.

NCP (SP) hopes to leverage rift between Marathas, OBCs

Mumbai: In August, Sharad Pawar’s convoy was stopped in Solapur’s Barshi town by Maratha protestors demanding to know his stance on the reservation quota. A day later, he announced that he would support the cause of Maratha reservations if the Centre decides to extend reservations beyond the 50 per cent ceiling. In one stroke, he put the BJP-led union government in a spot and also vowed support to the agitators. In these elections, too, the senior politician, who enjoys the sobriquet of being a master strategist, will leverage this issue to his party’s benefit.


The BJP is already facing discomfort over the raging issue with Manoj Jarange-Patil refusing to let the situation quieten down. His demand that blood relatives of Marathas who have the necessary documents, also be eligible for reservations, is met with severe opposition from the OBCs. The community fears that the quota for existing groups will go down if more communities and groups are added to the pool competing for reservations. The Supreme Court in 2021 had struck down a proposal for quotas saying that it was breaching the 50 per cent limit set for reservations. While trying to placate the Marathas, the BJP and the Mahayuti alliance find themselves in a Catch-22 situation with OBCs training their guns on the parties in power. Prominent OBC leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal and now Laxman Hake are protesting against Jarange-Patil’s demands. Both communities, the Marathas and the OBCs form a sizeable part of the electorate and irking either would mean political suicide for a party. The Lok Sabha results, especially in Marathwada, were apparently a reflection of the unease and anger of the protesting communities towards the parties in the ruling alliance.


For long, the BJP has, in hushed tones, accused Pawar of inciting Jarange-Patil for electoral gains. Devendra Fadnavis even publicly claimed that Jarange-Patil “is reading Pawar’s script”. The claims are hard to prove. Nevertheless, these protests have presented a strategic opportunity for veteran politician Pawar. His response to these protests could shape the future of Maharashtra’s political landscape. And the leader of the NCP (SP) has carefully selected candidates to capitalise on this raging issue.


The rift between the Maratha and OBCs communities could be the secret to victory for Pawar’s candidates. A stellar example is in Beed where young OBC face Sandeep Kshirsagar has been re-nominated. It sends out a dual message; his loyalty is valued and rewarded and the large OBC population in Beed is assured that their opinion and vote matters to the party. The OBC electorate in the region is what catapulted Gopinath Munde to power, a legacy his successors are vying for.


On the other hand, Pawar has pitted Manikrao Shinde, a Maratha against OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal from Yeola. It helps consolidate the Maratha votes in the constituency especially since Bhujbal, the undivided NCP’s most prominent OBC leader, has been vocal against the Maratha reservation demands. The anger against Bhujbal will translate into votes for Shinde.


The movement has united various factions within the Maratha and OBC communities. Pawar is poised to align with both communities to reinforce his party’s commitment to social justice and could forge new alliances with smaller regional parties.

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